Chapter 228: Tea Plantation Reclamation Report
The first batch of Jade Demon Vines were planted in the castle’s rear courtyard.
When Duane arrived, he saw Agricultural Officer Haien building wooden trellises and winding the Demon Vines onto them.
"These Demon Vines are too long, My Lord!"
Haien bowed and said as he worked, "Each vine is at least five meters long. If we just let them lie on the ground, there’ll be no room for anyone to walk."
"Good work."
Duane walked over to take a look. Sure enough, numerous flower buds had sprouted on every vine.
"By your estimate, when will these buds fully bloom?"
Haien paused his work and considered for a moment before saying, "It should take at least a month or so."
In other words, it took over four months for the Jade Demon Vines to go from seed to flower.
Duane gave his instructions. "I have a task for you, Haien. Once the Jade Demon Vines have fully bloomed and are about to wither, pick the flowers, dry them, and collect them. Also, be sure to save the seeds. I have a very important use for them!"
Haien’s expression grew solemn. He knew these were Magic Plants the Baron had brought back, and they were surely extremely valuable.
"Yes, My Lord! You can count on me!"
Duane nodded and asked, "Have the fields dedicated to planting Jade Demon Vines been prepared yet?"
He hadn’t brought back many of the black vines from the Secret Realm this time, so he wasn’t in a rush to expand the planting, but preparations still needed to be made in advance.
"A one-acre dedicated field has been prepared. It’s located at Broken Wave Bay, and I’ve already organized people to put up a fence around it."
Duane frowned slightly. "One acre... that’s a bit small."
Haien explained, "When you brought it up, it was the height of the spring planting season, so all the fertile land was already in use."
"But don’t worry, My Lord. I’ve already selected nine acres of fallow land. We’ll be deep-plowing and fertilizing them shortly. They’ll be ready for planting Jade Demon Vines in one or two months at most!"
Duane nodded. He had complete confidence in entrusting all matters of Planting to Haien.
He had also run some experiments over the past few days.
For example, three types of Magic Plants—Shadow Thorn Flower, Pale Fungus, and Wailing Root—found it difficult to survive in the outside world; they were only suited for growing within the Heavenly Mountain Secret Realm.
Furthermore, the Black Soil he’d brought out of the Secret Realm was not only worthless, but it also killed any seeds or seedlings planted within it.
This Black Soil certainly contained some component unknown to Duane.
"I’m leaving the matter of the dedicated fields for the Demon Vines to you. Also, I want you, your father, and Julian to select a dozen or so young, trustworthy people to take charge of cultivating these fields. The Lord’s Mansion will pay their wages."
In addition to the Jade Demon Vine, he also needed to cultivate Vigorous Grass, Red Sun Grass, and even chrysanthemums in large quantities.
He needed to cultivate capable talent in this area as well.
Duane gave a few more instructions before leaving the rear courtyard.
Haien gazed at the small, green grove, feeling a wave of emotion.
’I thought I’d spend my whole life working the fields, trying to increase the yield of crops like rice and wheat,’ he mused. ’I never expected to be planting Magic Plants.’
Moreover, he could clearly see the Baron’s intent to focus on Magic Plants over the past two months.
Magic Plants were an incredibly profitable industry.
’If I just do this job well and become an expert in cultivating Magic Plants,’ he thought, ’then when Black Forest Island’s Magic Plant industry takes off, my rewards will surely be far greater than what I’d get as a simple Agricultural Officer.’
’I heard Yanger’s become the manager of the Red Brick Factory. My father and I were the Lord’s house servants, and now we’re officials. We can’t let him outdo us.’
Capable people were highly valued under Duane.
Take Ronald, for instance. His apothecary now covered no less than fifty acres.
Then there was the builder Adams, whose new castle project was in full swing. He had several teams of laborers working under him.
Although there wasn’t much opportunity for graft on the project, with so many people under him, someone was always asking for a favor. Accepting small gifts was a common occurrence.
As long as it wasn’t excessive, caused no problems, and didn’t delay the work, Duane wouldn’t intervene in such matters.
After all, everyone yearns for a better life.
「That night.」
Duane summoned Julian and Ralph to hear their reports on the Hot Spring Mountain Tea.
Ralph said, "Currently, the laborers transported from the Silent Shore number nearly three thousand. Approximately six hundred have been assigned to Dawn New Village and the port wharf, where they are responsible for those two projects."
"Another thousand or so are in the Hot Spring Mountain Range, establishing a new tea village. They are primarily building houses, repairing roads, and logging."
"There are also over four hundred people handling logistical services like laundry and cooking. Ultimately, that leaves about a thousand people actually clearing land for the tea plantation."
At this point, Ralph looked toward Julian, as the specific affairs of the Hot Spring Mountain Tea plantation were the responsibility of the General Affairs Consultant.
"Of that thousand-odd group, three hundred are responsible for fertilizing and clearing, two hundred are planting tea cuttings, and five hundred are clearing the mountainside. Because clearing the mountainside is such strenuous work, their duties are rotated monthly."
Duane felt a bit resigned as he listened to the report.
"Just tell me straight, how many acres of tea plantation have we cleared so far?"
Julian explained, "The clearing started at different times, so on average, each person has put in about thirty days of actual work. In other words, you now have 225 acres of tea plantation."
"That’s a pretty small area for a tea plantation!" Duane said with a sigh.
But Julian just smiled. "The plantation may be on the small side, but progress on Dawn Town, the port renovation, road repairs, and house construction is going smoothly!"
Ralph added, "Besides, the quality of life for these people on Black Forest Island is quite decent. Some have even expressed a strong desire to live here, which aligns perfectly with our original intention of encouraging them to stay."
Duane nodded slightly; he had to admit that was true.
"I’m just worried that when I go to Sea Cliff Castle, Count Kais will think I’m using the people he lent to Black Forest Island for other things."
"That’s an easy fix!"
Julian said, "Just tell him you had to solve the laborers’ living situation. Besides, clearing land in the Hot Spring Mountain Range is difficult to begin with, so it’s perfectly normal for the initial phase to be slow."
Ralph chuckled. "If Count Kais still criticizes our speed, just tell him he didn’t provide enough grain. Black Forest Island has already had to add more than a hundred thousand pounds of its own."
Duane’s eyes lit up. That was an excellent reason.
"How large is the grain shortfall?"
Ralph replied after a moment of thought, "These people are doing heavy manual labor, eating no less than three pounds of grain per day. Even on average, it’s over two pounds."
"The Silent Shore sent four months’ worth of grain, a total of six hundred thousand pounds. By our calculations, the shortfall is no less than one hundred and eighty thousand pounds."
"If the next few batches of laborers arrive without additional grain shipments, the deficit we have to cover will be even larger."
Duane nodded.
Fortunately, Black Forest Island had sufficient grain to cover this shortfall.
"I will bring this matter up with the Count. If he won’t cover this deficit, then it’s hardly unreasonable for me to use his people for other tasks, is it?"
"Of course it is!"
Julian and Ralph both laughed.
"My Lord, there are two other matters you need to bring up with Count Kais."
Julian reminded him, "In the last negotiation that Simone attended, Count Kais was supposed to provide us with an additional three thousand Slaves. Also, the Royal Family and other Nobility were to provide a total of 100 sets of standard-issue weapons and equipment. None of it has arrived."
Ralph, who was in charge of finances, complained, "Even the 1,000 Gold Coins in compensation from the Scorching Wind Territory arrived before any of that, and they’re all the way out in the Starfall Islands."
Duane grunted.
He hadn’t paid much attention to these matters recently.
He could set aside the matter of the three thousand Slaves for now. After all, Count Kais was still in the process of sending laborers to Black Forest Island, and not all of them had even arrived.
The issue of the Slaves could wait.
The main issue was the hundred sets of equipment. For the Royal Family, the Duke Clan, and others of their station, providing such a small amount of gear should have been an effortless task.
’Is someone deliberately delaying things?’
Duane said in a low voice, "Alright, I’ve taken note of this. I’ll be away for a while this trip, so I need you to keep a close watch on the Territory’s various production affairs."
"Don’t worry, My Lord!"